Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: An Irish Folktale

There once was a man named Jack O' Rourke who came across a genie. The genie asked what wish he wanted granted. Being the clever guy he was, Jack asked for the biggest potato in the world, this way him and his wife would never go hungry. When the potato reached its full size, it rolled down the

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hill and blocked the entire street. With no way to move the potato, Jack had all of the townspeople eat the potato. Everyone ate until even the sight of potatoes made them sick. In order to never have Jack plant a potato so big ever again, the towns people gave him lots of food. Jack and his wife lived happily ever after.

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A lazy little Irish man is desparate to provide for his sick wife. On his way to church he overhears singing and a tapping sound and wouldn't you know; it's a leprechaun.
A delightful story to read in honor of St. Patrick's Day

Jamie is lazy, and does not help with the garden when his wife his sick. He makes a deal with a leprechaun, and grows a large potato, blocking the town's entrance. This is a comical story, even though I do not like how the main character is lazy and lets the wife do all the work. I would

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incorporate this book when learning about Irish culture and folklores. We can look into the importance of growing potates in Ireland, and tie in some History.

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In my opinion, this story contained some elements of Jack and the Beanstalk. The laziness of Jamie O'Rourke also reminded me of Rip Van Winkle, another husband who was lazy and put all the responsibility on his wife. I am still not sure if it was intentional that he would have his neighbors provide

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food for him or if it was pure coincidence.

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Pages: 28
Reading Level: 4.7

This funny little folktale about an extrememly lazy man who grows a giant potato is quite the funny little tale. I'm confused a little by the reading level but it's a great story with amazing illustrations. I'm not sure I would use this book becuase it could potentially

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teach students that it's ok to be lazy, which is not a thought I want my students to possess...

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Folktale about lazy man growing a big potato and not townspeople not wanting him to do anything else. *NOT good for reading to students, teaches them that laziness pays off*

I chose to read "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato" because I am a huge fan of Tomie DePaola, having read many of his books as a child. The book features DePaola's classic illustrations, which are very cute, colorful, and simple - his artwork is one of the reasons I loved DePaola's books so much

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when I was young. However, I really did not care for the story (which I suppose isn't really DePaola's fault as the book is an Irish folk tale)for several reasons. Jamie gets to live happily ever after off of the fruits of his neighbors labors because of a situation that came out of his own laziness. What kind of a message is that to spread to young children? Second of all, the term "potato seeds" kept being used, which is completely inaccurate because potatoes do not grow from seeds but in fact grow from the shoots of other potatoes. Even though most readers probably would not question the potato seeds, it really bothered me and kept me from enjoying the story.

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The story is about a man named Jamie who is so lazy that his wife has to do all the household and garden chores. However, she injures her back and Jamie begins to think he may starve to death. But luckily, he comes upon a leprechaun that offers him the biggest “pratie” in the world in exchange

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for freedom. So after taking the tiny man up on the deal, Jamie goes home and plants the seed. Just as promised it turns into a potato big enough to feed the whole village.

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Summary: Jamie O?Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland, far too lazy to help his wife on their farm. Then, after a chance encounter with a leprechaun, Jamie finds himself growing the biggest potato in the world?
Personal Reaction: Funny book and I enjoyed it.
Classroom Extension: Use during the

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month of March for St. Patrick's Day and as an example of a folktale from Ireland.

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I'm a little torn about this book. I think the story and the accompanying illustrations are great! I think the illustrations are simple, and easily interpreted by all ages. The thing that I don't really care for about the book is the moral. I was waiting for Jamie to realize the error of his lazy

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ways, but in the end of the book, he ends up being rewarded for being lazy and never earns his lesson. Essentially the big idea of this book is supposed to be that "it's not always best to take the easy way out" but it comes across as "Taking the easy way out still pays off in the long run."

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Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato is based on an old tale told by dePaola’s Irish grandfather. The theme of hard work emerges throughout the story in a very unique way.

Fairly typical of Irish trickster tales and of dePaola's work. O'Rourke is a mortal, though, and so this didn't engage me as much as the Finn McCool stories.

Great for teaching tall tales!

In this retelling of an Irish folktale, the laziest man in all of Ireland is Jamie O’Rourke. When his wife, Eileen, wrenches her back, she cannot harvest the potatoes and it looks as if Jamie will go hungry this winter. However, the luck of the Irish is on Jamie’s side, and he captures a

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leprechaun.
His wish? All the potatoes he can eat.
What could possibly go wrong?

Will children who read this charming narrative receive a bit of the luck of the Irish themselves? Perhaps. Perhaps not. What is certain is that the story of Jamie, the leprechaun, and the big potato will leave them laughing and demanding to read it all over again.

Highly recommended.

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The laziest man in all of Ireland catches a leprechaun, who offers a potato seed instead of a pot of gold for his freedom.

Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland, accidentally stumble upon a leprechaun, who gives him a seed for a giant potato instead of his pot of gold. Everyone thinks Jamie has been duped, until his potato starts growing. It's so large, it keeps the whole town fed all winter. Except now, they

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never want potatoes every again. The town agrees to feed Jamie and his wife from now on - as long as they don't grow another giant potato! Did Jamie get the better of the leprechaun, after all?

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Jamie O'Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland, accidentally stumble upon a leprechaun, who gives him a seed for a giant potato instead of his pot of gold. Everyone thinks Jamie has been duped, until his potato starts growing. It's so large, it keeps the whole town fed all winter. Except now, they

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never want potatoes every again. The town agrees to feed Jamie and his wife from now on - as long as they don't grow another giant potato! Did Jamie get the better of the leprechaun, after all?

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